As Natalie Nakase watched the Golden State Warriors clinch their first NBA championship under new ownership in 2015, she was struck by not solely the fact that they had won, but by the happiness and joy they exhibited along the way. She remembers thinking at the time that she would love to work for Golden State.
That day came into fruition nine years later as on Thursday Nakase was named the first head coach of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s latest expansion franchise that is owned by the Warriors.
Recalling that day, Nakase said she was struck by not solely the fact that they had won, but by the happiness and joy they exhibited along the way. But she knows the job comes with the same expectations owner Joe Lacob had for the Warriors: win a championship within five years.
“I understand the expectations here. You made it really clear,” Nakase said during her introductory news conference, recalling a conversation with Lacob where he mentioned that very…
